LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Barry Bonds said Thursday he would turn down entry into the Hall of Fame if an asterisk is placed on the baseball he hit to break Hank Aaron's career record.
Bonds, who made the vow during an interview with MSNBC, broke Aaron's mark of 755 homers this year and finished the season with 762. He was released by the San Francisco Giants at season's end.
The ball Bonds hit to establish the record was purchased by fashion designer Marc Ecko for $752,000 and Ecko gave fans a chance to vote on the Internet on what they thought should happen to the ball.
Fans voted to send the ball to the Hall of Fame with an asterisk marked on it as a symbol of Bonds' alleged use of performance enhancing drugs.
"I don’t think you can put an asterisk in the game of baseball," Bonds said in the interview.
When asked what he would do if the ball was displayed with an asterisk, Bonds said:
"I will never be in the Hall of Fame. Never. I won’t go. I won’t be part of it, I won’t be there. You can call me, but I won’t be there."
